In an integrated circuit chip, the various functions performed by the logic elements on the chip are dependent on variations in chip operating conditions. These chip operating conditions include the chip operating temperature. Chips are often contained in enclosures which experience extreme variations in temperature that can lead to poor chip performance, faulty data or even chip failure. When a chip fails to perform properly or crashes, the resulting failure could cause other connected chips or systems to output erroneous results or crash. This potential cascading failure may further cause loss of valuable processing time or the loss of important data. Complex recorders may be used to store information on the operating state of the chip before the failure and are used to determine potential causes of the failure.
A drawback with such recorders is that they are unable to prevent a chip failure. In addition, these recorders often contain complex analog sensors or fast analog-to-digital (A/D) converters which are sensitive to noise caused by digital switching operations and other factors. Hence, a need exists for providing a temperature protection device that can respond to temperature conditions above or below the operating threshold of a chip. It is additionally desirable to provide a temperature protection device using digital logic elements that can provide different responses based on the actual chip temperature and can be integrated into a digital design.